How to earn and spend frequent flyer points with Jetstar

Jetstar’s ‘low-fares’ approach to flying means you probably won’t be showered with free snacks on your next flight with the airline. But does that no-frills philosophy mean frequent flyer points are out of the question too?

You may not know it, but Jetstar Airways is actually owned by another big Aussie airline, Qantas. Thanks to this tie up, and some other partnerships the airline has in place, you may be able to earn frequent flyer points on Jetstar flights. They just won’t be Jetstar points as such.

Does Jetstar have a frequent flyer program?

Jetstar doesn’t have its own frequent flyer program. But you can earn frequent flyer points with Jetstar for partner airlines Qantas, Emirates and Japan Airlines.

Jetstar does have a Club Jetstar membership program. A $55 annual membership fee will give you access to perks such as member-only fares, discounts on bags and seat selection, and early access to sales on Jetstar flights. You’ll also become a Qantas Frequent Flyer member for free – this is usually $99.50 if you go through Qantas.

How to earn points with Jetstar

Jetstar has partnerships in place with Qantas Frequent Flyer, Emirates Skywards and Japan Airlines JAL Mileage Bank and you can earn points/miles on eligible Jetstar flights and fares.

Qantas Frequent Flyer

Qantas Frequent Flyer members can earn both Qantas Points and Status Credits on Jetstar’s Starter Plus, Starter Max or Business Max fares. Members can also earn points on Starter fares on Jetstar New Zealand domestic flights.

The higher your Qantas Frequent Flyer membership tier, the more Qantas Points you can earn. Jetstar says that Silver members will earn 50% more Qantas Points, Gold members will earn 75% more Qantas Points, and Platinum and Platinum One members will earn 100% more Qantas Points.

The amount of Qantas Points and Status Credits you earn will depend on where you fly and the fare you purchase. Qantas says the more flexible the fare and premium the cabin, the more points you will earn. Use the Qantas points calculator to see how many Qantas Points and/or Status Credits you can get.

Emirates Skywards

If you’re a member of Emirates Skywards, you can earn Skywards Miles if you fly on international routes on an Economy Starter Plus, Economy Starter Max or Business Max fare. You’ll need to be flying with Jetstar international, Jetstar Japan or Jetstar Asia, or flying Jetstar Domestic Australia and New Zealand as part of an international itinerary.

The number of Skywards Miles you earn is based on the fare purchased and the distance you travel. At the time of writing, Jetstar says the following earn rates apply:

• Economy Starter Plus fares earn 0.50 Skywards Miles per mile flown
• Economy Starter Max fares earn 1 Skywards Miles per mile flown
• Business Max fares earn 1.25 Skywards Miles per mile flown

Emirates publishes more detailed FAQs on Emirates Skywards you may find helpful.

JAL Mileage Bank

Members of JAL Mileage Bank can earn JAL Mileage on eligible Jetstar Japan flights. You can currently earn 0.3 JAL miles per mile flown on Jetstar Japan Starter Plus or Starter Max fares. JAL Mileage cannot be earned on Jetstar Airways or Jetstar Asia flights.

How to use points with Jetstar

You can also redeem Qantas Points, Emirates Skywards Miles and JAL Mileage Bank Miles for eligible Jetstar flights. You’ll need at least 3,500 Qantas Points, 8,000 Emirates Skywards Miles and 4,500 JAL miles to start redeeming.

According to point hacking site Point Hacks, Jetstar redemptions are 20% cheaper than those with Qantas for Economy and Business Class fares. To get the best value from your Qantas Points on a Jetstar flight, Point Hacks recommends redeeming them for Business Class tickets. You can use the Qantas Using Points Calculator to check how many points you’ll need.

What to look out for in a frequent flyer program

Before you sign up to a frequent flyer program, consider factors such as:

• Membership fee – membership of some frequent flyer programs is free of charge (such as Emirates Skywards), whereas others will charge a fee for joining. Qantas charges a $99.50 fee for joining the program at the time of writing. But there are sometimes promo codes available that will allow you to join frequent flyer programs for free.
• Partner airlines – most programs will allow you to earn points when you fly with a variety of partner airlines. For example, Qantas allows you to earn and redeem points with Jetstar and oneworld member and partner airlines, including American Airlines, British Airways and Cathay Pacific.
• Other program partners – programs also typically partner with hotel companies, car rentals, retail companies and more. For example, you can currently earn Qantas Points via the Woolworths Everyday Rewards program and Velocity Points through the Coles Flybuys program. When choosing a program, consider where you usually shop and whether you could use this to your advantage.
• Points expiry – don’t forget that points may have an expiry date. For example, Qantas Points currently expire if you don’t earn or spend any points for 18 months, while Velocity Points expire after 24 months of inactivity.

If you’re considering taking out a frequent flyer credit card to help boost your points, make sure it’s suited to your needs and weigh up whether the potential benefits are worth the costs involved.

Canstar rates and reviews frequent flyer credit cards on a variety of factors including annual fees, reward returns, and the taxes, fees and airline charges when you redeem your rewards. We’ve also written about the top credit cards on our database for earning Qantas Points and Velocity Points.

Cover image source: AJR_photo/Shutterstock.com
This is an update of an article originally written by Tamika Seeto.